This year’s budget saw the welcome introduction of the new farm safety scheme. It is the first scheme to give farmers direct support to make their farms safer.

The amount of funding available will be €12.2m and the grant rate will be 40% up to a maximum eligible investment ceiling of €20,000. That means the maximum grant for any one farm will be €8,000.

Dark year

It has been a dark year for safety on farms. Everyone who works in this industry understands the risks involved, but for some reason we put ourselves in danger and accidents happen.

Accidents involving tractors and machinery have been the main cause of death and serious injuries on farms over the last 10 years. So far this year 23 people have been killed in agriculture, with 14 of those deaths involving tractors and machinery. That is 61% of all fatal accidents this year so far.

If you examine what is on offer to improve agricultural machinery safety, the farm workshop could benefit from the following points on the scheme.

  • Retrofitting roof clear-sheet (roof light) with safety cages.
  • Yard lights (min 200W equivalent, either metal halide or LED).
  • Wiring/rewiring of existing farm buildings.
  • Replacement of hinged door/sheeted gate with a sliding door on agricultural buildings.
  • The scheme is of great benefit to the livestock farmer’s safety, improving the handling equipment.

    Contractors should also benefit, with grant aid to improve slurry facilities in the farmyards.

    Biggest hazard

    But have we missed tackling the biggest hazard of them all? Entanglement in a tractor or machine is horrifying; it will not stop or turn away until it’s too late for all concerned.

    The scheme could have offered support for farmers to improve the condition of their tractors; or funding for PTO shaft covers, O guards, U guards, replacement mirrors, and a reversing alarm. These measures would make machines safer on the farm.

    The scheme could have offered support to farmers to properly kit out the workshop with items to improve safety, such as axle stands and supports for machines to protect people from being crushed while under machines or removing wheels.

    The scheme is a huge positive – its is in all our interests to protect ourselves while we work on our farms. There is more potential and hopefully this is just the start of a committed campaign by this Government to safety on Irish farms.